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ES <br />XECUTIVE UMMARY <br />Homelessness in Eugene is not a new problem. A 2015 point-in-time survey <br />identified more than 1,473 homeless individuals in Eugene of which the majority <br />(817) were unsheltered. Given the systemic nature of homelessness, it continues to <br />be a challenging problem in our community. If easy solutions existed, the city <br />would have implemented them and solved the problem long ago. <br />In 2011, the Eugene City Council asked Mayor Piercy to form a task force to develop <br />recommendations regarding the needs of unhoused community members. The first <br />recommendation of the Task Force—which is the subject of this report—focused <br />on finding one or more sites to provide short-term, transitional housing <br />opportunities. Starting in 2013, the City piloted two programs that relate to the <br />siting recommendation: (1) so-called “rest stops” which <br />Homelessness in Lane County <br />provide city sanctioned camping areas; and (2) a micro- <br />by the Numbers, 2015 <br />housing community called Opportunity Village. <br />1,473 <br />people counted <br />In short, the City of Eugene is testing alternative methods of <br />transitioning the unhoused population that are new and <br />223 family members in <br />relatively unique. As the policies supporting these programs <br />homeless households with <br />require periodic renewal, providing information on how the <br />children; 151 sheltered; and <br />programs are functioning is critical to helping city staff and <br />72 unsheltered <br />elected officials make decisions regarding their continuation. <br />210 homeless veterans: 110 <br />As such, the goal of this project was to gather information on <br />sheltered; 100 unsheltered: <br />the performance of the transitional housing strategies to <br />697 <br />chronically homeless <br />better understand how they work and what impacts they are <br />people: 318 sheltered; 379 <br />having on rest stop and Opportunity Village residents and <br />unsheltered <br />nearby property owners. <br />398 people have a mental <br />illness <br />Eugene’s Transitional Housing <br />20 people have chronic <br />Strategies: Rest Stops and Micro-villages <br />alcohol/substance abuse <br />issues <br />23 unaccompanied homeless <br />To address homelessness and some of its negative impacts, <br />youth (under18) <br />the City has established a number of policies and programs to <br />address the issue. Central among these is a citywide <br />prohibition on camping that was adopted in 1983 (city ordinance 4.815). <br />Such ordinances are common in cities and are intended to protect the public <br />health, safety, and welfare. Illegal camps have been a perennial issue in Eugene <br />and often have significant environmental impacts. The implementation of the <br />ordinance, however, creates a significant limitation on temporary shelter for <br />unhoused individuals. Moreover, not all individuals that camp create negative <br />community impacts. <br />To address the issue, the City adopted an ordinance that permits camping under <br />specific circumstances. The Permitted Overnight Sleeping Pilot Program or “rest <br />stop” ordinance (Ordinance 20517) establishes a set of prohibited behaviors and <br />A Review of Transitional Housing Strategies in Eugene October 2015 Page | i <br /> <br />